Weber summit charcoal grilling centre-low and slow for 4 hours, settings

[mjkelch]

Well, have had my WSCGC for a couple of months now and was really interested in dialling-in the right damper setting for some low and slow baby backs. Target was 225 over 4.5 hours. On my first try, the kettle overshot by abou 30 degrees and then settled-in at around 240. I wanted lower.
I tried a friend's Cyberq temperature controller as well......found it also either overshot or undershot way too much. And I had to watch it constantly to keep the fire from going out completely. And setting up the Cyberq is not simple, especially if you are having a couple of pops.

So.....I like simple things best. Tried the ThermaQ with one pit probe attached and it seemed the best option I have tried so far. Simple set up. Simple to read. Accurate.
BTW, shocker.......the Weber built in lid thermometer read very closely with the Thermaq at low temps.

Bottom line......if have have owned a Kamado, you already know the drill. Start dialing-in in your temp long before you reach the target. Slow, small adjustments. The Weber is a bit more forgiving than a ceramic, but the same rules apply. Using the damper settings I have outlined here, i was able to maintain a range between 215-230 over the entire cook, with only occasional fiddling.
Also learned to never have the lower damper set right-on the smoke symbol. That is too-open for low and slow on this machine. Move left....left......left until you find the sweet spot...for me, usually slightly left of the leftmost little dot.....then do subsequent tweaking with the top vent.

Hope this helps someone.

[Fine Swine]

That's pretty much how I set mine as well. Noticed the same thing on the Weber dial temp being much closer to my probe. It's a the right height as opposed to the ones you see at the top, like my Weber26.

[CeramicChef]

mjkelch - I'm a simple is best kinda guy just like you. i'm not a big fan of temp controllers ... I figure I should be able to dial in temps with a good degree of precision; it's just a matter of investing the time to get to know your specific cooker. I think your new Weber is a really fine cooker that should give you a ton of great cooks over the years.

Very nice post and here's to great cooks and great memories with family and friends! Kudos to you!

[mjkelch]

Thanks! You nailed it. Family and friends on the deck.....smell of ribs slow cooking and a few drinks here and there. Hard to define, but definitely "a thing".

[David Parrish]

Nice post! I have long suspected the smoke setting on the WSCG was too far open to maintain low temps and was one of the reasons reviewers had trouble maintaining 225 F.

[Max Good]

I agree with David Parrish that the intake damper smoke setting is too open and noted this in my review: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...rilling-center
Please share your SCG experience on our review page.

[jcowling]

Similar to my experience. I also think the recommended amount of charcoal in the instructions are too much.

[Porterdriver]

As an unapologetic FNG here, let me ask the greenhorn question about recommended amount of charcoal...Does too much charcoal give you too much heat, or burn too long, or both?
What do you recommend for the amount?

[fzxdoc]

Great post, mjkelch ! Photos are excellent too. Nothing like a picture to say those 1000 words.

Porterdriver I use this method that Bill billg71 gave me when I first got my WSCGC. I'm quoting it below from this WSCGC topic.

fzxdoc, since you're planning on cooking ribs, here's what I've learned about smoking on my SCGC:

I get my best low-temp results with a modified Soo's donut(I use a coffee can in the center) with a full chimney(or maybe 1-1/2 for long cooks like brisket or a big butt) and about 14-16 briquettes fully lit dumped in. I start with the bottom vent on smoke and the top vent full open, top closed to about 1/4" when the grate temp hits 175. I tried lighting just part of the pile with the Snapjet but that doesn't give you any control of how big a fire you start with, I didn't get good results the one time I tried it.

If I use more briquettes to light or let the temp get over 175 before closing down the top it'll go past 225 and never look back. And it'll take a while to come back down. I tried starting with 20 briquettes but that seemed to be too many, temps shot up quickly and I had to close both vents down to get back to 225-250. 20 would be about right for a 325 cook, I think.

I leave the bottom vent on smoke throughout the cook and it seems to work well that way. Just like any other cooker, it takes some learning but it holds temps well with only occasional adjustments to the top vent.

If you notice you're having to open the top vent to maintain temp when you get well into the cook(say 4-6 hrs), tap down the ashes and run the sweeper back and forth a few times to clear the bottom. Don't forget to put it back in the smoke position and watch temps closely for the next 30 minutes, you'll probably have to close the top vent down again.

Another tip: When you're finished, close the top vent and spray in the holes with a little PAM. Then run it back and forth a few times and wipe out the gunk as best as you can with a paper towel. Mine froze solid after the first 2-3 cooks and it's the devil to get it loose once it does. Tolerances are tight on that vent and it seems to gunk up easily.

Enjoy the Last Meal Ribs, that was my first cook on the SCGC as well! Cheers!

Best,
Bill

I've used this method for every low and slow (and poultry) cook so far, using the amount of coals recommended by Weber for food type/length of cook (e.g. 2 scoops for chicken (80) 2.5 scoops for ribs (100) etc.). I'm sticking with Kingsford Original until I get a better feel for how it works with each type of cook.

HTH,

Kathryn